Right Next to the Right One
by TTY7
Summary: In the endless flow of eternity, love is something that has always existed.


A/N: I wanted to write a song-fic for Code Geass and every time I heard Celine Dion's Right Next to the Right One, I imagined C.C. singing it to Lelouch. So after, a long time of waiting, I'm finally posting this up. I hope you guys will like the somewhat fluffy fic.

Note: This story takes place two hundred years after the Zero Requiem. This is what might happen if Lelouch had become immortal after he defeated his father.

Disclaimer: The world and people of Code Geass are not mine. The song is not my property either.

_Right Next to the Right One_

It was the year 2218. Since the time of the Zero Requiem, the world had been in a state of peace. Of course, every once in a while conflicts rose in politics as expected. Human history is one of struggle after all and it always will be. However, compared to the conflicts that had occurred two centuries ago, the problems in the world were very mild.

I laughed as memories of the past rushed back. In the end, results justified the means of which this peaceful world came to be. Consequently, I'd been allowed to enjoy the world I'd created, though in retrospect of the horrendous deeds committed, I didn't deserve this world at all. Even so, peace is what I've come to know and it wasn't something I planned to let go of.

"_I said the power of the king would condemn you to a life of solitude. I don't think that was quite correct, right, Lelouch?_"

Those had been her words a month after the death of the demon emperor, Lelouch Vi Britannia. He had died by the hands of Zero, otherwise known as the knight of Zero, Suzaku Kururugi. Who would have thought that the day I defeated Charles Zi Britannia would be the day I gained immortality? It was certainly a surprise to me when I awoke after being stabbed through my abdomen. My mentality had been quite erratic when I first realized that I could no longer die.

However, C.C. was there just as she'd always been. From then on, we traveled the world together, though we made sure to disguise ourselves. The Zero Requiem wasn't going to fail just because I'd been caught traveling with an immortal witch.

Of course, I no longer saw her as a witch. Yes, I still called her that sometimes, but the word really held no meaning between us anymore or at least not the negative one as it used to.

But now, as I stroll through the streets of Barcelona, I can't help but think that I've been a fool. After two centuries of traveling together, I still referred to her as an accomplice or a friend. The latter hadn't taken nearly as long for me to realize. But…

All this time…two centuries worth of time have made me reflect on our relationship. We'd been together since the day I found her in my house conversing with Nunnally. Before that though, she gave me Geass; the power I'd so desperately wanted.

With that power, I killed in cold blood. I ruined the lives of countless people. My heart was isolated by the power and I betrayed my friends and the person who'd meant the most to me in the world. The pain that followed all those events nearly killed me, but through everything…

C.C. was there. She had never left my side.

I couldn't fulfill our contract. I'd refused to grant her wish to die, rationalizing that is wasn't her true wish. Her true wish, the desire to be loved, was another wish I could not grant her.

Or so I thought at the time.

Still, remembering all these things makes me wonder if I was ever capable of loving someone in the first place. I highly doubted that me loving someone again would benefit that person.

My eyes scanned the surrounding buildings. The Spanish influenced architecture was astounding if not breathtaking. Whenever I traveled through these streets with C.C., she always seemed happy. She'd been born somewhere on the European continent, so it was no surprise to me. Another smile worked its way onto my features before falling flat as I walked toward an outdoor café.

I had been a fool. No, I'm still a fool. My mind can't begin to come up with a reason for why it had taken me so long to realize that I loved and needed C.C. Was I an oblivious knucklehead? That's a high possibility, but one I continually ruled out. At one time I'd taken over the entire world. A man cannot do that and be oblivious at the same time. It's just not possible.

My deadpanned expression turned into a scowl. By now I should realize that anything is possible.

The pace I was walking was slow as I sat down at a table at the café. A waitress came over seconds later. I no longer wore my disguise, since those who would want me dead are dead themselves now. My looks had obviously made this girl want to fawn all over me, but I had no desire to be fawned over and instead quickly ordered an iced tea. It was mid-morning; the weather was becoming increasingly hot. I removed the red jacket I was wearing in response, revealing the black sleeveless turtleneck t-shirt I was wearing. My body involuntarily leaned back in the chair when the waitress returned with the iced tea.

"Would you like anything to eat sir?" she asked.

"No thank you," I replied simply while barely glancing at her. I nearly chuckled at the irony seeing that the waitress looked identical to Shirley Fennette, an old classmate who had fallen in love with me. That love had cost her dearly.

The waitress smiled and left me to my wandering thoughts that had inadvertently returned to C.C. When had she gained so much power over me? Was it during the times when I'd entered her mind? Was it when I learned her real name? The kiss we'd shared at Kanime island and when she restored my memories? Had it been after she proclaimed to be happy that I cared about her?

On what occasion did I finally fall in love with her?

"There are too many to count," I muttered before sipping at my tea. There was a slight breeze in the air, which helped with the rising heat on the beautiful summer day. However, noticing the simple things aren't as enjoyable without C.C. by my side.

"_Why did I ever start that fight with her_?" I wondered aimlessly after setting the glass of tea back onto the table. A year earlier, we'd gotten into a heated argument. To this day, I can't remember what our fight had been about. Pizza perhaps? The cheese-kun she loved? The constant charges on my new credit cards that I'd worked so hard to get after changing my identity again and again? What did it matter? All I remember is by the end of our argument, I said that I hated her and that I never wanted to see her again. I told her that it was her fault that I was living day after day when I should have been dead. I'd said worse things to her, but I didn't want to go over those things in my mind. They had all been lies anyhow.

If there was ever a time I wished my Geass worked on C.C. it would be right now. If I knew where she was, I'd find her and command her to stay with me forever while using my Geass. Of course, I already know that doing so wouldn't work. She comes and goes like the wind. It's nearly impossible to trace.

That and…my Geass is weakening. It has been since three years after my 'death'. Soon, though it may be another century, my Geass will be gone, completely erased by the Code I now possessed. She'd said that it'd been a rare case in which a Code and a Geass existed together in harmony. Eventually however, my Geass would dissipate.

Under normal circumstances, I'd let C.C. wander as she pleased. There were times when she left, though it was never longer than a few days. I'd done the same at times.

But now…we've been apart for over a year. My heart ached more for her each day and that's why…if I ever see her again…I'll make up for lost time. I'll apologize and tell her how I really feel about her. I won't be oblivious to her feelings and I'll finally grant her wish to be loved.

"I swear C.C.," I whispered solemnly while staring at the vase of sunflowers in front of me, "if I ever find you, I'll never let you go again."

Behind me, I heard the distant strumming of a guitar.

* * *

I've accumulated many experiences over my long life. From the time I gained my Code until this present moment, I'd experienced many things.

However, it wasn't until I met Lelouch that I finally started living again.

At first, I wasn't entirely sure if he would be useful to me. I knew him to be the son of Marianne Vi Britannia and the 17th in line to the imperial throne of Britannia. His future changed when V.V. killed his mother, though during that time she'd hidden within a young girl's mind. Lelouch's heart became tainted from that point on. He swore revenge on his father, for which he believed that his lack of interest on the matter of his mother's death was because Charles himself had let her die.

When I met him in Shinjuku, I gave him the power of Geass. From then on he became another one of my accomplices. He was going to grant me a wish and in return I was going to help him defeat his father. The plan was that simple.

Of course, I didn't expect the long-term effect that Lelouch had on me. He had a callous heart, but he still had one nonetheless. His reason for living was his younger sister, who had been blinded and crippled thanks to the events that V.V. caused.

Without a doubt, I know that he revived the human part of me. The part that had been lost to me for so many years. He learned things about me that no one has or will ever know again. One of them being my name. He's the only one in the world who knows my real name and he's the only accomplice who's ever heard it pass through my lips.

To me, he wasn't always kind. In fact, he found my love for pizza rather annoying and the fact that I was living with him didn't help those matters. Still, we got along well enough until Mao showed up. Though before that, he'd seen into my mind, a place where I didn't want anyone to go.

He protected me, knowing I could live through anything but refusing to let me get hurt. Lelouch was certainly a prideful man and one who rarely showed his kind side. Still, his kindness wasn't entirely unwelcome. It was something I appreciated even though it wasn't something I was supposed to want. Kindness isn't something I expected from him or anyone else. That kindness and Lelouch's personal battle with himself forced me to show kindness as well, or rather it reawakened my compassion for the human race.

Through all the events leading up to the Zero Requiem, except for the time when I lost my memories, I was stationed by his side. In times of sadness, I eased his pain as best I could. I even betrayed and killed people who had looked up to me or in Mao's case loved me.

I scoffed at the thought while walking the alleyways of Barcelona. How anyone could love me was puzzling. However, I knew to lock away my heart after the dilemma with Mao. His return had surprised me and after I killed him, I vowed to never make the mistake of loving someone again.

How foolish of me, to think that I could control matters of the human heart. I may be immortal, but I finally realized that I'm still human too. Human emotions still live within me, though there's only one person in the world who awakens those emotions.

Anger, jealousy, sadness, kindness, happiness, annoyance, bitterness, helplessness, grief, relief, hatred, love…all of these are the feelings that Lelouch awoke in me. I'd been looking for a way to end my life, but when the opportunity came, I couldn't go through with it. There was someone who needed me.

"_C.C., I need you, I do_."

There was someone who cared about me.

"_Stop! You're no match for the Guren!_"

I had a new reason to live.

"_Lelouch, the price you pay for using your Geass is a dire one._"

He died, but we were reunited in a twist of fate.

"_I said the power of the king would condemn you to a life of solitude. I don't think that was quite correct, right, Lelouch?_"

From that time on, we traveled the world together. We wore disguises to hide our identities while observing the world Lelouch created. We lived and died together for the duration of two centuries. Of all the time I've spent on this Earth, those two centuries were probably the best of my life. Through all that time we were always together. But now…

I no longer accumulate experiences. I simply live in the moment. That was what Lelouch wanted for me.

My mind continued to wander as I entered the back door of a small building. The interior of the building was the kitchen and the indoor portion of the otherwise outdoor café. This place was where I worked and made a living for myself, since my main reason for living again despises me now.

I sighed as I closed the door behind me. My memory is excellent, but the reason why Lelouch and I fought that day a year ago was a mystery to me now. My memories aren't normally selective, but I suppose my heart didn't want to hold onto the pain of that part of the memory. After all, the memory of what Lelouch had spoken to me was enough to leave me emotionally drained.

"_I never want to see you again. Just leave me alone C.C.!_"

The memory of packing up my things and leaving him that night brought tears to my eyes as I went toward the front counter of the indoor portion of the café. There weren't many people inside today, it was a beautiful summer day after all. I quickly wiped away the tears I'd cried. I'm not weak, so I won't fall victim to my emotions again.

Suddenly, one of the waitresses came storming in. Her name was Maria Santiago, but she looked similar to Lelouch's old classmate, Shirley Fennette. She smiled just like her that's for sure. The only clear difference was that Maria's eyes were blue instead of light green.

She wore an outfit that was identical to mine. A white blouse with a black corset tube top over it and a black and red skirt that spiraled out when you twirled around. Her orange hair was tied up in a bun and she was carrying a tray full of empty glasses.

"Hi, C.C.," Maria exclaimed happily as she went toward the drink machine. Next to the machine was a pitcher of iced tea and next to it was a pitcher of water. Maria filled the glasses on her tray with different soda's before getting a new glass. She filled it with iced tea.

"You won't believe this, but I totally just met the guy of your dreams."

I laughed. There was only one guy that I dreamed about. "Maria, I don't need a matchmaker."

"Are you kidding?" Maria asked. "Come on C.C. you work way too hard around here. You needed a man yesterday."

"_The only person I need hates me_," I thought with a sigh.

"You can at least look at him can't you?"

"I guess so," I replied. There'd be no harm in humoring Maria's schemes. Her looks may be like Shirley's, but her personality reflected more on Milly Ashford, who died quite some time ago.

"Great, you are going to die when you see how hot he is!" Maria exclaimed as she picked up the tray with all the glasses. I followed her to the front door.

She smirked. "The guy I'm talking about will be at the last table I go to, okay."

"I understand."

Maria nodded as I pushed the door open for her. I stared out at the outdoor portion of the café. There was a great deal of people out there today, but Maria navigated through the rows of tables easily. At the first table she dropped off five sodas to the five girls that were sitting at the table. She quickly traveled to the next one and…

My heart nearly stopped beating as I recognized the man sitting at the table. His raven locks had been one thing, but the violet eyes had been a dead giveaway. Maria dropped off the iced tea for him and then she returned. The mischievous girl laughed when she saw my puzzled expression.

"I told you he was hot," Maria stated excitedly. "So, what are you going to do?"

My thoughts were frazzled as I responded. "I know him…"

"You do?" Maria shouted. Customers within the building turned and stared at us and Maria calmed down slightly. "How do you know him?"

"It's a long story, but we were…that is…"

She didn't let me finish. Instead she handed me my guitar case. "Go serenade to your man my sista."

"Wait, you don't understand," I protested as she started to push me out the door. "He and I are…"

"Don't be scared C.C., just do it," Maria pressed. "Besides, I love listening to you sing."

"But I…"

Maria forced me outside before I could protest further. She refused to let me back inside, so I figured that I may as well just leave. I have no reason to stay here, so why talk to the man who broke my heart.

I gasped in realization to what I'd just thought. How could Lelouch break something that wasn't there unless…I did have a heart and I…

"So that's why I've been so sad lately," I muttered. At this point, I have no choice but to face this. How else can I move forward and into the future.

My footing was a bit awkward as I walked toward the table where Lelouch sat. His back was to me, so he had no idea that I was approaching.

"C.C., I swear," he said suddenly, "if I ever find you, I'll never let you go again."

My mind blanked, but a smile started to work its way back to my features again as I removed the guitar from the case I held in my hands. After pulling out the guitar, I began strumming.

Lelouch heard the music, but he didn't move. I walked closer and finally started singing.

* * *

Lelouch's eyes widened in surprise as he heard an angelic voice begin to sing.

"_What if we were meant to be together?  
What if you were meant to be the one?  
I could hide a million years and try to believe,  
That any time the boy in mind will come and rescue me._

_Cause you're the fire, you're the one,  
But you'll never see the sun,  
If you don't know, you're right next to the right one.  
And__ I could call it many names,  
But it's myself I need to blame,  
If you don't know, you're right next to the right one._"

The voice and the music drew closer and it was then that Lelouch finally turned around in his chair. Before him in all her beauty was C.C., a guitar was in her hand and she wore the waitress uniform that Maria had been wearing. For a moment he wondered if C.C. worked at the café. He also wondered if he should leave, but he found that C.C.'s angelic singing was holding him in place.

"_In the end you've got a friend for lifetime,  
Truly__ there to truly care for you.  
I know you cry a million tears so I want you to know,  
That a pretty face can take you places, you don't wanna go._

_Cause you're the fire, you're the one,  
But you'll never see the sun,  
If you don't know, you're right next to the right one.  
And I could call it many names,  
But it's myself I need to blame,  
If you don't know, you're right next to the right one._"

C.C. strummed her fingers along the strings of her guitar as Lelouch stared at her. She stared back at him and smiled as she got caught up in the music. Her golden eyes peered into his violet ones before she circled around him. When she stopped, she stood at the front of the table. Lelouch turned around again so that he could watch her.

And then he mouthed these words.

"_I love you_."

C.C. closed her eyes in content before she started singing again.

"_So in the end it all depends on whether you'll find,  
__The warm embrace when I replace the one you had in mind_...

_Cause you're the fire, you're the one,  
But you'll never see the sun,  
If you don't know, you're right next to the right one.  
And I could call it many names,  
But it's myself I need to blame,  
If you don't know, you're right next to the right one._

_And I could call it many names,  
But it's myself I need to blame,  
If you don't know, you're right next to the right one._

_Right next to the right one._"

C.C. strummed the final notes on her guitar before stopping completely. The customers around her and Lelouch clapped and Maria, who'd been listening and watching the whole time clapped as well.

Lelouch simply stood before walking towards C.C. He stopped when he was about a foot away from her. He took her hand, though C.C. was hesitant to let him at first. His words from a year earlier had really hurt her, even though she'd never admit that to anyone other than herself.

At the same time, Lelouch stared lovingly at C.C. He didn't deserve her, but he wanted everyone to know how he felt about her.

"C.C., I've missed you," Lelouch began. He waited for an answer from C.C., but she said nothing. He continued on.

"I'm sorry for what I said last year. Please forgive me, for being such a fool."

"Why should I?" C.C. asked, though there was an evident smile on her face. Lelouch however, didn't notice this. He held her hand tighter.

"Because C.C.," he got down on one knee while continuing to clutch her hand, "I don't want to live another day without you by my side."

C.C. blushed. "Really?"

"Really," he replied. "C.C. I've never been good at saying how I really feel, but…the thought of living another day without you is more than I can stand. I couldn't imagine my life without you before, but I've been forced to live that life. That life isn't one I want to live C.C."

C.C. said nothing, but merely stared down at Lelouch.

"C.C. please allow me back into your life," he begged. "I love you. I need you, C.C."

"Lelouch…" C.C. trailed off. She didn't know what to say.

It was then that Lelouch reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet box. "I promise that this time I'll fulfill our contract. All I ask is that you stay with me forever. Marry me, C.C."

C.C. could feel her eyes watering as she stared down at the velvet box. He didn't have to open it for her to know what was inside. The ring was going to be the symbol of their new contract.

"So, you'll grant my wish then?" C.C. asked him, her voice breaking slightly. He nodded in silent acceptance.

"Yes, I'll love you with everything I have C.C."

C.C. chuckled slightly as she reached for the box in Lelouch's outstretched hand. She opened it and took out the diamond ring. After placing it on her finger she helped him to stand since he'd been kneeling for over five minutes.

"Very well then," she said while staring up at his violet orbs. "I accept your contract Lelouch."

"Good," he replied as he embraced her. "I love you…"

C.C.'s eyes widened. He'd whispered her real name. The tears spilled out of her eyes as she hugged him. They parted for a moment so that Lelouch could wipe the tears from his beloved's eyes. Her smile was bright enough to light up the whole world.

As Lelouch's fingers caressed her face, he couldn't help but wonder what their lives would be like now that they were together again. He smiled, already knowing that his life was going to be happier than he ever hoped it would be.

So with that thought in mind, Lelouch closed the distance between them and kissed the lips of his witch. C.C. in response returned the kiss. She again held her warlock in her arms.

In the endless flow of eternity, love is the one thing that has always existed.

* * *

A/N: THE END. By the way, before I go. This story is dedicated to a person who has continuously given me hope, courage, and confidence. I'm forever grateful to this person for the things he has taught me over the past year. I won't say his name on here, but that person knows who I'm talking about. I love you and thank you, J.

Alright, now that all the fluff is out of the way. Be sure to visit my profile and check out my other stories and review this one too if you want. This is TTY7 signing out.


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